#8bit reviews

[8bitsupervillain]

8bit Reviews: Euphoria (the game, not the show)

I wish my memory was a more reliable thing at times. Often times it can remember some really obscure happenstance that happened when I was ten or twelve. Of course it also has its moments where it struggles to remember things that happened earlier in the week. Perils of aging I suppose, anyway I wish it were more reliable because I truly want to know what exactly it was that set me on the trail of this visual novel. I cannot for the life of me recall what it was that brought it even tangentially into my notice, or the force that spurred me into action so quickly. It was only when I was about three quarters of the way through the second to last route that I became aware of the notoriety around Euphoria. For good or ill, it is certainly a well-deserved notoriety. This is without a doubt simultaneously one of the foulest things I've ever experienced, but also surprisingly one of the tamest as well. I don't really know how trigger/content warnings go, but be aware there is some heavy stuff beyond the jump.

Euphoria starts with our protagonist Keisuke Takatou waking up in a white room. Shortly after his awakening he is informed by a robotic voice to leave the room, or die. Heading to the next room he finds himself with a handful of his classmates and a teacher. The same voice then informs the group that they're "going to play a game" to determine if the group gets their freedom. Keisuke is designated the "unlocker" and his female classmates, and teacher are the "key holes." The game is simple, Keisuke is to take one of the keyholes into a room and perform a specific sex act to the satisfaction of whoever is holding them hostage. Basically the group is put into a Saw situation, only instead of violent gory mutilation it's rape. Naturally one of the students is mortified beyond belief and screams at the voice/hostage takers that she refuses to participate. To illustrate the situation they're in, the girl is taken to a different room, and when the rest of the group finds her she is brutally electrocuted to death in front of them.

There's a scene in this older horror film called The Green Inferno, in which out protagonists are captured by a village of cannibals deep in the amazon jungle. During the scene one of their number is selected by the villagers to be killed. So you get the scene where a college-aged woman is killed and dismembered by the cannibals, and the camera pans to the shocked and horrified reactions of the group. Then it shows the leader of the group held captive who is masturbating to the preceding events. Naturally the rest of the group calls him out on this fucked up behavior, but he insists it's not bad because you need to keep calm and not be stressed during times like these. Like in The Green Inferno, Keisuke is just incredibly turned on by the sight of the dead body and has a massive erection. One of the group, Nemu Manaka, finds Keisuke in this state and teases him over his dark desires to inflict pain and torment on girls as well as his apparent lust to rape the girls. What follows is a prolonged series of almost literal misery porn, because in addition to the mental strain of being put in such a situation the game is at its heart pornography. Just extreme fetish porn, including asphyxiation and literal shit eating.

What I find most odd about this is the fact that over the course of the VN you have these various depraved acts including murder by electrocution and literal shit eating, but for some reason it's the menstrual blood that gets censored. There's also implied taxidermy of a human in one of the games bad endings. In fact, except for one scene the game is largely restrained when it comes to bloody content. This isn't a complaint, of all the degenerate types of hentai out there I find guro to be the worst of the lot. It's just that given the games themes of depravity and subjugating those weaker than you there's very little violence. Straightforward, physical violence anyway, the novel is filled to the brim with sexual violence. I don't mean to imply that Euphoria is any the lesser due to its lack of women getting the shit knocked out of em, or that it would be better if you could see their innards in a way that could only be described as lovingly rendered. I just had thought since punishing those weaker than you is a pretty major part of the story that it would come up more than hardly at all.

As I was approaching the end of the story the idea sprouted in my head that this novel seems to have been censored rather heavily. I have no reason why this occurred to me given the very many rapes, and multiple times characters had been forced to eat other characters shit. Never the less thought sprung up, imagine my surprise after finishing the game when reading an interview with one of the authors they mentioned that they did indeed have to lighten up some of the darker themes so as not to upset one of the visual novel rating boards in Japan. Apparently there's two of them, one has a pretty lax approach towards violence and extreme themes in pornographic VNs, and one that's stricter. Clockup sent it off to the stricter of the two.

When it comes to the story I don't really have very much positive to say about it. I don't like basically any of the characters, I found the plot to be hard to get invested in, and as it continued towards its ending I found myself getting more and more impatient with the frankly ludicrous explanations for the things that occur. I won't go into too much detail about it, but I just think that if you're going to introduce an element that fundamentally and completely changes character motivations at the drop of a hat via bullshit science you have to handle it very delicately. Also I just find it funny when there are characters themselves who just disappear from the narrative, almost as if they too got fed up with the story's shit and decided to just peace out.

The hell of it is, I don't even really hate the story, there are times where I found it was very well-written. Specifically villain characters and not just the simpering whining schoolgirl who is somehow miles worse than characters who are making others take part in a death game, or running a rapist murder cult, or just a bizarre evil religious cult. The problem I have with the story is that it just has a hard time measuring up to the heights of extremity that I thought it was going for. I thought it was going to just be sexual violence that keeps turning the knob higher and higher until people were basically just fucking clumps of meat. I don't know how it would go from there, what sort of resolution it would have, but instead the game keeps it just shy of guro snuff porn. Maybe that says more about me, but a very short time into this I thought the game was going to be reaching the levels of A Serbian Film, or a Hostel, but instead it kept it at a level more akin to an All Night Long. Please know, that I'm aware that the other novel by ClockUp Maggot Baits is probably closer to what I thought Euphoria would wind up as.

The story's all well and good, but what about the porn 8bit, I'm sure you're asking. It doesn't matter how fucked up or irritating the story is if the sexy sexy porn is good right? I won't really talk about the fetish stuff, because I think that's up to the user more than anything. What I like, and what you like can be entirely different things. From an art stand point I don't particularly like the look of most of the cast. It's probably just an age thing, but I don't have very strong feelings to the moeblob art style of roughly ten years ago, it just stands out as fairly generic. The majority of the cast just has a general "cute" feeling to them, that I'm sure it is meant to make the inevitable filth and depravity supposed to be just that much more spicy. The main love interest character Kanae for instance just feels like the generic love interest character from a slice of life or romantic comedy anime of the time. They're played more realistically than the wildly divergent designs you would get in a harem anime. But again, I can't really shake the feeling that they were designed somewhat generically on purpose. So when it pulls the rug out from under you, and a more extreme personality reveals itself you'll have a harder time reconciling it with the moe uguu~ face they had earlier on. Except for Rika, she remains a constant shrill nuisance who is largely unchanged for the entire runtime. But again, art is subjective, and maybe I'm just bringing my own baggage from my readings of slice of life, and romance mangas to the table. The main girl Nemu stands out in this regard because she doesn't really fall into the same "generally cute" area that the rest of the cast lives in.

But yes, the porn. It'll probably get you there depending on your personal tolerance for sadistic sex. To its credit, unlike some other porn VNs I've played this one actually has motion to some of the sex scenes. A large portion of it is still images, but there is some that has actual motion to it. None of the more extreme scenes, there's no motion in the scenes of coprophagia or branding. On a personal level I didn't find the game particularly enticing, but that's owing more to the art style than my distaste for the types of sex on display. Also, credit to the writers I wasn't recoiling from reading their sentences about fucking, so it has that going for it. It has the usual porn dialogue problem that all porn has, but nothing too egregious. There are some extremely stupid lines, but they are relatively few and far between, but again, all porn has some extremely dumb lines now and then. Goes with the territory.

There's really not much for me to recommend Euphoria for. The premise might be a bit off-putting but honestly it's not the worst I've seen. The music is fine for the most part, a lot of ambient piano and percussion instruments, nothing super porny during the sex scenes, just a lot of somber slow piano to try to keep a low atmosphere of dread. I wouldn't even really recommend it from a story perspective because the plot really loses itself towards the final hours of it. It's just more or less roughly thirty hours of misery porn, quite literally.

[mingos-commodoreblog]

Game Review (German) - Little Computer People (C64)

[adobe-outdesign]

if you’re reviewing neopets, could you review my favorite color, 8bit?

8-bit gets a lot of slack from some people, on the grounds that none of the 8-bit pets are technically 8-bit. I'm not a pixel artist so I don't feel qualified to talk about the specifics, but basically 8-bit sprites have specific size and color limitations that none of the 8-bit Neopet designs do. Some pets also have other issues, like having half-pixels or uneven pixel sizes, which shouldn't happen for obvious reasons (see: the Kacheek's face below).

Personally, I don't think this is a problem, seeing as it's just a color and most of the issues with it aren't noticeable to non-pixel artists—but I do think the color should have been named "pixel" instead of 8-bit, which would've at least been more accurate.

Another issue with 8-bit pets tends to be inconsistency. Some are forward-facing. Some are in profile. Some don't wear clothes. Some wear clothes but just a t-shirt and pants. Some have clothes but it's an entire fantasy outfit. Some have shading. Some don't. Some have detailed pixel work. Some have very simple pixel work. You get the point. Every color is going to be variable depending on what artist worked on it, but usually there's more of an attempt to have some consistency with the style.

Overall, though, I do like it as a color. It's fun, it's interesting, and it's very unique compared to literally any other pet colour.

Favorite Species:

Uni: I hear a lot of people say that the 8-bit Uni is awful, but I don't care. I love it and its stupid little grin and stupid little pose. It's by no means the best looking 8-bit pet, but it's by far the most charming in my book. My only nitpick is that the perfectly square butt is a bit strange compared to the rest of the body.

Cybunny: While once again not the most technically impressive 8-bit pet, i do really like this one. It's super cute, and while it's obviously not accurate to real 8-bit sprites I do feel like it gives off a really nice retro vibe. All of the pixel sizes seem to be pretty correct as well, and the colors are nice. No clothes, but then again, do you really need them?

Tonu: When I say there are more impressive 8-bit pets out there, this is what I'm referring to. The recently released 8-bit Tonu has an incredible amount of detail in its sprite work, including multiple layers of shading and very small, detailed pixels. It's completely different compared to the Uni and Cybunny above, and while not as charming or half as retro, it is quite beautiful.

The other thing that's really nice about the 8-bit Tonu is that it has a very pretty rainbow palette, with a completely different horn and tail than the species usually sports. I honestly have no clue why, but it's very unique and keeps it from being too "Neopet but slightly pixelated"-ish. As a bonus, the rainbow parts are removable if you really don't vibe with them.

BONUS: hehe clown :)

Least Favorite Species:

Korbat: Why is the shading so weirdly detailed on the face but not on the feet or tail. Why does the dress not match the palette of anything else in the design. Why the colored outlines. Why does it look like Piglet from Winnie the Pooh. These questions and more will not be answered.

[claustrophonic]

Album: Achievement - PilotRedSun (2016)

If you were on the strange side of YouTube often between 2013-2020, chances are you've seen a PilotRedSun animation. The multi-media project is Michael Epler's.

Achievement is one of those albums that will stick in my head forever. PilotRedSun has a way of stringing chords and melodies together that gives each track the astonishing ability to embed itself within the crevices of the mind. It is entirely instrumental, the sound design is transportive and immersive -- a hundred worlds live in this album.

To me, a child of 2002, this album feels like a vague memory. A sense of something imaginary, something distant, something simultaneously less-than and greater-than reality. It is very digital-age, early internet, niche internet, MS Paint. The 8-bit and reverby drum elements are reminiscent of the 80s/arcade video games. It also feels jungle-gym-esque, though I can't make a concise argument for that.

This album was the reason I enrolled in AP music theory in high school. I didn't actually get to go to in-person school that year, so I have not yet been able to identify the exact elements that make PilotRedSun's songs so fucking interesting and deeply painful, but I'm going to someday.

Personal Highlights:

funny animals

fat cat

8-train

thanks

[animehouse-moe]

Shy Episode 1: I'm Shy

Masaomi Andou and movement aren't things that really go together. After all, a significant chunk of their storyboards for Hanako-kun were just manga panels. Shy, however, is a series that could really use some movement. So, how does it go over? ..... mixed signals, in my opinion. Some good, some not so good, lots of questions, so I'll lay it out here so you can decide if it's worth watching or not.

Alright, so superheroes exist but there's only one per country, and they're chosen by "heart bracelets" which bring out the latent hero potential in the individuals. Shy, or Teru Momijiyama, is Japan's hero and the main character of this series as she endeavors to save people and learn how to be a hero herself.

Sounds pretty comic book-ish, yeah? Andou and the staff seem to agree, as they open with a comic book style explanation of the story. It's good, really good. But is also a point of frustration for me.

Why? Because they don't keep it consistent in the episode. Andou uses comic book panels during the episode to accentuate reactions to something. In concept it's a great idea, it's just executed on very poorly. There's no animation in the "appearance" of the panel, there's no effect to its appearance, nothing. It materializes on the screen and that's it. There's also nothing special about it, it's just layered upon the regular screen. There's no "comic book dots", there's no color change, there's not even an outline or shadow to help separate the panel from the image itself.

It's a great idea that ends up woefully underdelivered on which is a shame given how well it fits both the series and Andou's sense of direction.

It's even worse because there's examples of the same styling of layering an image on top of the environment where they do use that style, and I think it makes an important difference in how you see things.

I think about the only thing it does well is hide the lack of animation in a lot of sequences. Whether it's 8Bit's limits or Andou's intervention I've no idea, but a lot of the episode is still outside of superhero stuff. There's a few examples like this piece of Teru clinking her bracelets together in defeat, but not much. Overall, I'd say that the "average" visuals feel very awkward at times, which is disappointing.

However, the superhero stuff is very cool for the most part. The movement, action, and transformations are all very solid and pride themselves on impressive visual effects.

But really, that's about all I have for it. I don't really think there's any standout direction or boarding being done since so much is just shot for shot with the manga. There's no massive differences or changes to how things go, and the animation on average is just alright. I definitely think there's potential for some really standout episodes with this series, but that will highly depend on the episode director/boarder on the episode. Basically though, if you felt that this episode wasn't that good, I don't think it's going to end up something that you'll enjoy.

[b3crew]

REVIEW | "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime The Movie: Scarlet Bond" | B3 - Boston Bastard Brigade

It’s hard to dislike almost anything related to That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. The story of Rimuru and the people of his Tempest kingdom balances fantastic action, deep drama, and side-splitting comedy. These elements have helped 8bit’s adaptation of Fuse’s light novels stand out from the rest of the isekai pack. Unfortunately, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond forgets that balance, instead deciding on a paint-by-numbers narrative.

Taking place after the events of Season Two, Scarlet Bond focuses on the arrival of the ogre Hiiro (Yuuma Uchida), whose queen Towa (Riko Fukumoto) and her kingdom of Raja is in danger. After Rimuru (Miho Okasaki) assists Towa with the poisoned water supply, a neighboring country sets to attack Raja. As such, Rimuru starts suspecting foul play.

Much of Sacred Bond puts its focus on Hiiro, who aims to protect Queen Towa and Raja. As she is the one who saved his life, he feels an obligation to make sure she is not taken by her mysterious illness. Rimuru and his Tempest cohorts act more as support for Hiiro and Queen Towa, sometimes playing second banana to many of the narrative’s conflicts. On one hand, it’s a good way to expand on the massive world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime; on the other hand, I’m certain most people are watching this film because they wish to see the series protagonist do what they do best.

That’s not to say that Rimuru’s sitting on their hands throughout this movie. We see how they assist Queen Towa, on top of ridding the poison from the kingdom in a very impressive manner. But once the real villain sticks his nose where it doesn’t belong, Rimuru becomes the film’s backup instead of simply leading the charge. (Considering how powerful Rimuru is at this point, perhaps them being the lead would’ve made this a much shorter film.)

Click here to read the rest of the review!

[salbutrole]

ye i just upload this thing i made like 2 years ago, i would be glad if someone took the time of listening to it

[iconicretrogames]

Ripple Island - On This Day in Gaming History

On this day in 1988, Ripple Island was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Ripple Island is a fun and nostalgic game that will transport players back to the golden age of 8-bit gaming. The game is set on a small island where the player takes on the role of a young boy who is tasked with saving the island from an evil witch.

The gameplay is simple yet engaging, with players using the NES controller to guide the boy through various levels filled with obstacles and enemies. The game features a variety of weapons and power-ups that can be collected along the way, including a sword, boomerang, and bombs.

One of the best things about Ripple Island is the colorful and detailed graphics. The game's visuals are reminiscent of the classic NES games of the past, with bright and vibrant colors that pop off the screen. The sound effects and music are well done, adding to the overall atmosphere of the game.

In addition to its retro charm, Ripple Island offers a surprising amount of depth in its level design. Each level is filled with obstacles and enemies that require quick reflexes and smart use of weapons and power-ups to overcome. The game’s boss battles add an extra layer of challenge and excitement to the gameplay.

One of the standout features of Ripple Island is the variety of enemies and obstacles that players will encounter. From giant slugs to flying bats, the game keeps players on their toes with a constant stream of new challenges. The game's bosses are impressively designed, each with their own unique set of attacks and strategies to defeat.

Another great aspect of Ripple Island is its replayability. As players progress through the game, they will discover hidden secrets and collectibles that can be used to unlock new levels and power-ups. This adds an extra layer of motivation to keep playing, as players will want to discover everything the game has to offer.

Overall, Ripple Island is an excellent NES game that offers a nostalgic and fun gaming experience. Its retro charm, well-designed levels, variety of enemies, and replayability make it a must-play for fans of classic NES games. If you're looking for a fun and nostalgic gaming experience, Ripple Island is definitely worth checking out.

[ecargmura]

Blue Lock Episode 29 Review - The Blue Lock 11

The tryouts are over, so there’s less ball playing and more buildup to see who made it to the frontlines. There’s also a glimpse of their opponents, the U-20 towards the end. I honestly can’t wait to see how this upcoming match will be like as they’re a bunch of high schoolers battling against the nation’s best players under 20 years old. That’s a crazy feat.

I honestly don’t know if Ego made the right choice with those eleven players as some of them didn’t even play with Rin in matches. It definitely is a gamble. However, given that Blue Lock is the name of the show, the BL team will definitely win with Isagi probably stealing Rin’s thunder or something. That’s my prediction. Though, I do feel bad for the ones who weren’t chosen like Reo and Barou. Hopefully, Ego will rotate players if necessary and let the benchwarmers take the spotlight later on.

His lesson about flow was interesting. I do agree that there is a difference between focusing on something leisurely and extremely. What Ego is looking for is the latter—for someone to be in a state where their mind is fixated on scoring a goal that it causes miracles. It did happen to Isagi in the match two episodes ago. It makes me wonder if any other players will unlock it later on.

This episode is more about character interactions than soccer playing. The bad blood between Rin and Shidou goes as far as Shidou injuring Rin to the point that he has to get shocked and then confined like he’s in a mental hospital or something. There’s also Rin and Isagi interacting with Isagi being a good sport and handing him a water bottle in order for him to take a break. Rin fans are definitely eating well for this episode.

There’s also interactions between Shidou and Sae, which is interesting as Shidou is a Blue Lock player while Sae is a U-20 player. Originally, they’re supposed to be opponents, but Sae made a condition where he would only play in the match if he is able to take someone from Blue Lock on his side, which he chose as Shidou. Seeing Shidou being violent towards the other U-20 members make me wonder why he was even allowed to be in Blue Lock in the first place. Regardless, the other U-20 players are interesting because they all have animosity towards Sae which makes sense as he was just inserted into the already established team and then gives an aloof remark of not being interested in others. Sendou seems to be the most hostile of the bunch. Though, I’m surprised that Aiku, the new character introduced, is under 20 years old because he does NOT look like a minor—he looks 25 at best.

New character introductions means more voice actors have been added to the cast. So, apparently, Aiku is voiced by Satoshi Hino, who you may know as Daichi Sawamura from Haikyuu and Rengoku from Demon Slayer. Hino’s voice always does give authoritarian vibes, so I guess it suits him? Sendou is voiced by Akihisa Wakayama who is a voice actor I’m not too familiar with. Also, Blue Lock really likes spending money on big name voice actors because even the JFU fogies have big named voice actors. Buratsuta, the pot-bellied old guy is voiced by Bin Shimada and Hochi, the bespectacled guy is voiced by Toshihiko Seki, whom you may know as flipping Muzan Kibutsuji from Demon Slayer. Like, why is the studio spending so much on voice actors when they should be spending their money elsewhere. Heck, the 11 U-20 members got revealed and they got rather known voice actors to voice these eleven guys—even Kensho Ono is in the cast! What the heck, 8bit?

Anyways, the additional time was super cute with Niko trying to get along with Aryu and Gagamaru and it just becomes an OSHA party at the end. It’s funny how both Gagamaru and Aryu are airheads but so tall while Niko is levelheaded and shorter. I guess the taller you are, the more in tune with the air you are.

I honestly can’t wait to see the match between Sae and the U-20 vs the Blue Lock 11. It’s going to be intense given that the Itoshi brothers are adversaries in this match. It’s definitely going to be a crazy match emotionally. I just pray nothing bad happens to Chigiri’s knee in this match. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[legobiwan]

Okay, just got back from the Mario movie, thoughts under the cut.

SPOILERS AHOY YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

This movie was delightful. I think I was grinning almost the entire time. Yes, it's a love letter to the Mario franchise. To quote Bojack Horseman, it's not Ibsen, but not everything has to be.

The visuals were stunning.

The SCORE WAS FANTASTIC. They did an incredible job of arranging 8bit video music game music for full orchestra. And yes, there was a short Luigi's Mansion quote when our boi was exploring the woods.

Speaking of our boi...LUIGI!!!! I LOVE HIM! He's such a mess and jeeze, did he get roughed up by Bowser. But there's something I want to point out about his "moment," as it was, in the finale. Well, two things.

Firstly, Luigi with the shield (manhole cover) looked like something straight out of Captain America. And for once, he's protecting his brother.

Secondly, Mario went through all this extensive training to beat Bowser. Luigi just shows up and...does it. Knows next to nothing about the Mushroom Kingdom or power ups or whatever, he just starts jumping around with equal skill and facility as his brother (yeah, yeah, I know they needed it for the grand finale, but in-universe, it's a hell of a thing.)

Honestly, I had no issues with any of the voice actors. Toad and Kamek were both unexpected delights. And yes, Charlie Day killed it, as was expected.

I could have done with fewer slo-mo bits - those did get a little old.

A lot of the reviews mention the pacing as an issue. Yeah, the movie probably could have used another 30 minutes, or - and this might be controversial of me to say, they could have cut the Bowser piano scene, as I personally didn't feel like it added much to his character. (The scene between him and Kamek rehearsing the proposal, however, was hilarious.)

LUMA YOU DEMENTED SOUL. Perfection.

Gods, the Brooklyn scenes. So good. Poor Luigi was really getting talked over by that one family member, grrrrrr.

Mario calls him "Lu"? ADORABLE.

I also think we could have done without the baby Luigi and Mario scene. Like, we get the dynamic, let's not lampshade Luigi's lack of confidence.

I started pumping my fist when I heard the Mario Brothers rap in surround sound. RELIC OF MY CHILDHOOD.

Okay, yes, Luigi was underutilized and my hope is that he gets his own character arc in the next movie. Or, you know, we could do a Luigi's Mansion flick, which I will pay to see 50 times in the theater. (Or or, we could go really darkhorse and ask for a Super Paper Mario film, but I doubt we'd ever be that lucky). Anyway, that really was my largest complaint of the film - we needed MORE LUIGI and MORE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FOR LUIGI. LET MY BOI BE INDEPENDENT.

9/10, taking off a point because I just want to see my boi on screen at all times. I had a blast (and showed up in my lowkey Mr. L outfit!)

[8bitsupervillain]

8bit Reviews: Pathfinder Kingmaker

The first five or six hours I was having a grand time with it. Just loving it from top to bottom, sure the combat was a bit clunky, but aside from that I was having fun. Then I unlocked the kingdom management section of the game and my opinion dropped sharply. The lie that you can set kingdom management to auto-resolve itself is a massive lie because if you leave this bastard alone for too long you will get slapped with an inevitable failure message and have to redo potential HOURS of stuff just to get back to before you doomed yourself. Nevertheless I stuck with it, maybe it'll get better, I thought as I was very thoroughly not having a good time. Twenty hours passed, then thirty, at forty I decided enough's enough I'm done with Pathfinder. So it went for a couple of months I played other better games I became mesmerized and spellbound by other stories that respected my time.

But eventually the bastard thought wormed its way into my head to give it another shot why not? You had time away, surely now's the time it'll be fun! You tried and bounced off some other CRPGs, so who knows, maybe Kingmaker has that secret something to get you back in. Fifty hours passed, sixty, and once again I vowed I would never return to Kingmaker, I uninstalled it from my laptop and desktop. I even went so far as to delete the saves off of my laptop (where I'd been primarily playing Pathfinder). September rolls around, I fall deeply, madly in love with Baldur's Gate III, but eventually I have to go back to work, and my laptop isn't quite the youth it used to be, and storage space is at a premium. Back to Kingmaker, I guess. Reinstalling it I find that because I never deleted my saves off of my desktop the cloud storage for GOG Galaxy kept my saves up to date.

What fun, now I won't have to redo a whole bunch of stuff or start from the beginning. Has the combat always been this aggravating? Be fair, you might just be unfairly comparing it to Baldur's Gate III, the Pathfinder guys did this at least five years ago, and had a fraction of the budget. Comparing the combat to Pillars of Eternity or Tyranny was similarly disastrous because I recall feeling the combat in those was a lot smoother than Kingmaker. Then, disaster strikes, sixty-nine hours into my save file the game declares that I've lost, and I cannot continue the game. Sixty-nine fucking hours down the tubes, nearly three actual days. Literal months of time wasted for this? FOR THIS?! No, NO! Fuck that! Fuck this! I'm done! I'M ABSOLUTELY DONE. FUCK PATHFINDER KINGMAKER, FUCK OWLCAT, FUCK EVERYONE WHO SAYS THIS GAME WAS WORTH PLAYING! And so I uninstall it, again.

Bullshit game, I hate it. The combat, trash. The characters, generally unlikable garbage! At least in other games when there are villains they're well-written villains, you might not like them, but at least they provoke a feeling other than vague irritation. Fucking game, absolute waste of my time. Why did I try to respect the game for so long as I had? What did I gain from it? Our antagonistic relationship was clearly one-sided, Pathfinder was never going to try to meet me halfway and be something decent.

Time passes, it's October and I'm looking at nexus mods. You should see if there's mods for Kingmaker, sure none of them will magically make the game good, but you know, just for a lark. Sure enough, there they are, the whole spectrum. What's this? Cheat mod, well with this I could theoretically reach an ending in Pathfinder. Wouldn't that be something? Get revenge on the game that pissed you off so? I could, theoretically, do that. But why? Why should I shove my hand back in the bear trap? Hadn't I suffered enough? Shouldn't I just leave well enough alone and move on and put Kingmaker (and Wrath of the Righteous) firmly in the rearview of memory?

So, once again, for the last time let's reinstall Pathfinder. This time I'm done pretending to care about beating the game honestly. I want it to be over with. Weight limits? Gone. Barony rolls? Win them instantly. Sure "I'm robbing myself of the experience" of finishing the game "legit," but I am so far beyond caring at this point. You know what the hell of it is? The thing that makes this all so very much unbearable? It wasn't worth it. Eighty-nine hours and seventeen minutes later I finished the game, I got my unsatisfying conclusion, and… that's it.

Back when it first came out I got very very annoyed with Bloodborne. I could not for the life of me get past Vicar Amelia, it got to the point where I stopped playing the game for months because just the sight of it pissed me off. But eventually I powered my way through it, and I now regard Bloodborne as one of the finest games I have ever played.

The sense of satisfaction I got from triumphing over it was exhilarating. Pathfinder Kingmaker gave me no such feeling. Yes I'd finished the game, but there's nothing there. Just another game to add to the list of games I've beaten. For all the self-inflicted agony I've put myself through I got roughly the same satisfaction as when I beat something completely forgettable that I played for roughly a week. I feel more satisfaction finishing Little Nightmares 2 than I do Kingmaker, and I didn't particularly care about Little Nightmares 2.

I guess what I got out of Pathfinder Kingmaker is I really need to get over my absurd feelings that I'm somehow letting the developers down if I don't play a game I hate to completion. Blackguards is probably a better game than this, and I don't particularly like Blackguards.

[xo8ball]

listening to the city is at war again <3 temaiken truly. oh god halp there is patreece in here. alright i was in kiss my sass so gonna check it again cuz its so hehaheha CHEWY! also i still got soul.

TRAVIEEE BABYGIRRRLL I CAN TREAT YOU RIGHT JUST GIVEME A CHANCEEEE. im a teenager girl just rewinding some little lyrics.

VAMO CON VIVA LA COBRA 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍 <- serpiente

[metaljesusrocks]

The 400 Mini is a small version of the classic Atari 8bit computer and includes support for 400/800, XL and XE computer series, and the 5200 home console. It comes pre-installed with 25+ classic Atari games, the ability to play your own games and a new THECXSTICK joystick. Check out my review! More info: https://retrogames.biz/products/the400-mini/

[thdramas2]

I read the PSA and the azucar_arts situation is actually 100x worse than I thought. She scammed + money laundered over $10,000 dollars. TEN THOUSAND??? That‘s prison level theft. She needs a lawyer because I’m sure people have reported her gofundme.

THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY

(psa link incase you need it: https://toyhou.se/~forums/5867.service-reviews/527328.beware-massive-psa-on-8bit-mau5-over-10k-usd?page=0)

[decembermoonskz]

+ stray kids : 5-STAR (★★★★★) | my comeback review/thoughts °˖✧

welcome! let’s get started! >:) happy skz day <33 feel free to let me know you thoughts and if you agree with stuff or have your own interpretation :D 

god i missed skz music so let’s get it

album ;

★ - favorite

:: Hall of Fame ★

OMG SUCH A GREAT INTRO TO THE ALBUM

this is such a great statement for the theme of the album as well as who stray kids are

the bass is really good and the key is wonderful

the pre hook is absolutely amazing and it gets you hyped

minho’s parts are one of my favorites tbh he has such good energy and it makes it feel like his lines are a punch to the gut

i love the whole hook!!!!!!!!!

and the sci-fi vibe sfx are really good wow

felix’s lines too tho like yes sir spit facts >:D

:: S-Class

this is an amazing title track imo!

honestly this is a great statement about who stray kids is and how far they’ve come. now hear me out.

they kind of show a little bit of everything that makes up their genre so to speak. noise music, hard bass, charming little quirky parts, not even mentioning the fun choreo and footwork that they’re known for. 

it showed that they’re here and that they aren’t changing their brand any time soon.

the whistle to start it off is so iconic honestly 

the pre hook yet again is my favorite and the ending section of the chorus with all the footwork :D

the pre hook is both gentle and hype-building

also that endless bass in the hook is so nice it’s low and tickles my ear just right

THE SWITCH UP FOR VERSE 2 BRUH that reminded me of nct’s songs being a totally diff song at certain points LOL

THE BRIDGE IS SO FUCKING PERFECT BRRRRRUUUUHHH

that deep synth during the dance break is delicious 

it really is great just wow *claps*

:: ITEM ★

so welcome to one of my favorite songs on the album

the intro is one of my favorite things ever the nostalgia of the 8bit sounds

the hook is so aggressive and i think using changbin and felix for the “item!” part is perfect

the second verse rap may be the best part tbh it’s so addicting hearing their fast raps the rhythm is so good

jisung’s rap was probs my fave hhhh no surprise

such a nice mix of happy and aggressive tbh which also has to do with the major vibe

honestly if this was their b-side i wouldn’t complain honestly it’s such a good song all-around

honestly love they didn’t unveil this

:: Super Bowl ★

oh god i knew i’d love this one !!!!!

super impressed with doing it in all english

all the whispers tho omfg so clean

honestly i understand why this didn’t become god’s menu tt it doesn’t give tt quite like current god’s menu and gives off more b-side 

honestly it’s so addicting like item just whoa the bridge is so nice and the hook is so good i’m very hit or miss with chanting choruses but this one does it nicely

the whispers tho are so perfect i have to mention them again *melts* especially with headphones

:: TOPLINE (Feat. Tiger JK)

changbin rapping first *nods* very nice

the bass hits are so nice on the ears

ooooh! pre hook >>>> so nice the keys are some of my favorite

i love the note falling off at the “we don’t give a fu-” 

OH GOD THE BOOM DIGI DIGI BOOM BOOM no that really is an anthem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay i really like tiger jk’s part! it fits in perfectly and then goes into jisung honestly >>>> *chef’s kiss*

all the raps are really clean (so proud of hyun rapping as always his raps have only gotten better)

another chanting chorus that does it right fr fr it’s so good 

this is a certified concert song hoping for it on the next tour

anyway BOOM DIGI DIGI BOOM BOOM

:: DLC

that sound after “dance like crazy” really tickles my brain in the best way uwu

i love the vibe of this song it’s so happy and uplifting

honestly it’s such a nice song to dance crazy too go figure :)))

i love the beats so much (i always love changbin songs hehe)

those little vocals at the end of the song made me soft idk why it was so cute

i hope this is on the next tour too i wanna jump to this

:: GET LIT ★

oh fuck GREAT intro

THAT BASS IS NASTY FUCK YEAH

the first verse is so harsh /pos

pre hooks i love you pre hooks <333333333

THAT CHORUS SYNTH IS FUCKING GOOD OMG 

vocals >>>>>

hwang hyunjin i will fight you /pos (context: him slurring his words after hook 1)

the edm vibes i’m here for them *nods*

oooo bridge... *heart eyes*

the little sound at the end hehe

:: Collision ★

trumpets.... TRUMPETS ?!?!??! OH GOD YES

OOF THAT LITTLE VIBRATTO HELL YES

oh this song is going to haunt me till the next comeback watch me loop it and make it onto my top songs for spotify

THAT HOOK IS PERFECT OMFG

omg i love this one so much

hehe chris hehe *kicks feet*

jisung’s voice omg it’s so perfect

verse 2 > verse 1 imo

the ending and the phone ringing sound big oof i love it

:: FNF

i already really loved this song bc of its message but hehe chris starting *covers face and kicks feet*

literally every pre hook on thsi album is good wtf <3333

felix vocals *^*/

hyunjin rap *^*/

the lyrics </3 oof my heart tugs honestly they’re so good

i get TMT vibes from this song tbh and i like it

oh the bridge is so quiet it made me :(((( it’s so soft and heartfelt

after learning about the “catching up” part from chan it makes me more emotional 

:: Youtiful 

time to cry ig *shrugs*

more chris starting vocals TT TT 

this really does go in the #lovestay, you can STAY, category 

the hook is my favorite part <3333333

jeongin was right this does have the comforting disney vibes

all the “i’ll be by your side” vibes are making me so emotional

also chris starting hook 2 makes me wanna cry woohoo love that for me

they dropped the fan chant as i was listening and i looked at them and wanted to cry awesome :))))

:: The Sound (Korean Ver.)

into existing songs now

i already liked the sound before but i tend not to like kr versions of jp songs (besides TOP) but this one is actually alright

i still have bias towards the original but i’m open

the raps are still really good tho like catJAM

i still miss “this is THE SOUND! it’s THE SOUND!”

:: Mixtape: Time Out

i actually like how they ended with the mixtape it feels like an end to the album and a hug for STAY lol

like “congrats you got through the emotional damage this album gave you :))))) /j

no really i like this being the end to the album smth we’re familiar with and a very like... idk conclusive song to end it with

like going out with a happy bang!

god i really fucking love stray kids man <3

mv/performance ;

honestly i’m not always for big flashy mvs but i know that’s kind the era of kpop mvs rn but skz never really bothers me with their mvs even if there’s a lot going on LOL (like the soldiers, the octo monster, the horse, the fire, just for examples) oh and i won with all the chris shots LOL anyways

i really like the choreo it’s really playful and like they said it’s like a “playful annoying” HAHA it really comes off as these annoying kids having fun without a care. my favorite part of the choreo is the hook and the start of verse 2 i love the switch up so much it’s not even funny. 

also the part where minho and chris get to be center with the footwork that’s such a nice moment!

i loved all the scenes on the boat fr fr that’s so cool! i also loved the camera work yet again their mvs always have such nice camerawork and editing <3333333 i love how they yet again did everything that tends to “bother” people. adding a lot of things to their videos and making them wild just like making their music noisy HAHA 

i also really liked the minchanjeong shot for the bridge it’s so good. that and seungmin’s shot at the end of the bridge too! hyun showing up in the fire for hook 2 was also so nice! ugh i could talk about the whole mv tbh LOL

final thoughts ;

wow overall this comeback is hard-hitting and there’s so much to take in!! there’s literally way too much to deal with you can’t process it all on one listen or watch. you need like ten LOL i’m in love with this cb tbh after listening to the album and the songs and seeing the mv like 4-5 times (this will go up later lol) i’m really happy and pleased with this cb!! overall it’s quite literally 5 stars HAHA <3333 thanks for reading if you made it this far *bows* i’m out to vibe to the album and watch the fan chant (we got 4 parts of chris in s-class can i get an amen)

[cielospeaks]

heroes year 8 review thing?

heroes year in review list meme thing? (my creation)

new units:

-favorite new heroes character(s): i wanna say glen? hes probably the most fave-fave who was added this year. shout out to characters like yukimura, mozu, hayato, arlen, the solm and elusia guys (and their hound ghbs), and the last batch of fe6 guys for becoming playable, theyre cool. and shout out to fallen ursula for making my memes canon. you go girl, also you deserve better.

-favorite special heroes character(s): ponytail alear is really cute, and both of the twin stewards' seasonals were neat too (even tho i prefer their base forms). the summer hrid is real, which is great. tho thats kinda the extent i feel super strongly towards positively lol.

-favorite legendary/etc character(s): hraes and nid babeyyyyyy!!! tbh the only ones i liked this year and they ate all my orbs RIP. but that said i did also get m shez for no orbs so he gets a shout out.

-favorite resplendent of the year: ofc my favorite character wise is laegy? but i dont like her resplendant art or theme (which is weird bc the voice lines were good). i like the art for cat, brave miccy, and bk i guess.

canon plot

-you have to say one thing nice abt this year's book (whether characters, plot, music, etc?): its nice that hraes and nid are two cool characters in the book, and as far as main villains go, laerdhar is meh but not as just. despiseable as someone like frej ya or eit ri.

-you have to say something nice abt tempest trial too: pyazi is cute and cool and im glad we have one jotun who is tolerable (her art is weird that she looks much happier than her voice lines? but idk i think it kind of works). it also didnt seem like tooooo much of a retcon and like book 3, only enforced the negative traits of the main characters rather than retconned their personalities (like b2's)

-things you didn't like/criticisms: the music for b8 i find kinda forgettable compared to bangers like 7, 6 (elms theme specifically), and 4 and insulting bastardizations making fun of a musical genre like 3 and 5. speaking of insulting the april fools was not so good but then again the only ones ive liked were the 8bit parody (which was ok i guess) and the legendary f eh one. i feel similarly to b2's tt for b5. like really, of all the interesting angles you have to just introduce a new concept out of nowhere and do nothing for pre existing characters???? it was disappointing but not surprising tho imo.

-if you had to choose a favorite character in the main plot/tempest trial (theres gotta be at least one): hraes, nid, and pjazi. i like them all. literally all the rest of the characters, hard pass.

-favorite fb/tempest trial story(stories? if were lucky): bors and lut at the end just pulling out all the stops. easily the best interaction ive seen in a while. the ogier one was nice too. honestly i think a lot of fb were fine, the bad ones just leave a bad taste in my mouth. nothing really stands out to me tt wise tho lol. ig the chrom and luci one was wholesome tho.

oc stuff!

-if you had to describe the theme/vibe of the book (fic) in 1-2 words? self-improvement, next step?

-what oc do you feel like encapsulates the message of the book fic the best? like idk. em for book 6: imean theres two, eostra and eadgyth. i guess with the theme of self-improvement, then eostra. it doesnt really count but i think elanor also fits both themes tho shes in the side story lol. im also just realizing everyone has an "e" name. rush e was the friends we made along the way.

-what is your favorite character interaction of the book? i love every bit of the plumisurla dynamic. evil ladies snarking at each other. they got mad disney villain energy, but like. if two slay queen disney villains also were fond (in a wholesome way) of a two braincells princess/protagonist and became part of the squad (not in a bad way, in a fun and neat way, not in a stupid way like in actual movies). i feel like kaze got some good scenes, being the glue that keeps everyone from tearing each others throats lol.

-what is your favorite character development of the book? delthea being the main character of the nidavelir theme. also i havent written yet but herrinthr and otr standing up to eitri bc she was mean to sola.

-whats one criticism/change/something youd do differently if canon was different: i feel like 7 and 8 both dont have as grounded plots, partly bc theres so many damn characters. i think 8 is a bit better, with eostra and eadgyth acting as surrogate main characters kind of. more development/screentime from "spy" to get us more invested in his fate, and more development/screentime just adventuring abt yggdrasil with eostra and eadgyth. tho i feel like the latter could easily be a spinoff material for like a "five minute disney story" but heroesverse.

-if you could change one thing in canon to fit the fic better, what would it be and why/how? angsty otr + fafnir reunion scene (hey it could still happen) to introduce spack, more jeritza screentime and a happy end if he was added in the 16 banner (in canon he will get an unfortunately sad end)